Violence (Antihero Inferno #3) - Lily White Page 0,63

know is the longer I’m around her, the angrier I get.

Maybe I’m mad at myself for thinking we could do this. Or I’m mad at Damon for needing her as much I do. Or maybe I’m fucking pissed she walked away from me while breaking promises, and because of that, I can’t bring myself to forgive her.

Whatever the reason, or the combination of all of them, I’m a beast pacing his cage, my eyes set on Emily with every intention to attack. And the only thing that’s stopping me is my brother.

Emily checks her phone when we’re finished eating.

“Crap. It’s getting late. We should go.”

Damon pays the bill, and the three of us head into the parking lot.

It doesn’t escape my notice that Emily stays next to Damon the entire time, her red hair falling forward to shield her face from me.

When we reach the Jeep, she makes a few failed attempts to climb up before Damon laughs and grips her waist to lift her.

My fingers curl tightly into my palm when his hungry stare locks to her ass as she moves into the backseat.

I feel like a fucking caveman every time he looks at her, and my first instinct is to beat him down, then point at Emily and growl Mine!

But I can’t do that.

We’re only friends.

And this entire arrangement is a shitshow.

Clenching my jaw, I climb into the driver’s seat and attempt to ignore their easy friendship, my foot a little too heavy on the gas as we pull out of the lot and onto the road.

Nobody says a word as we drive to Shane’s house to grab the spare keys and then to Priest’s shop to grab the van.

Every so often, I catch myself glancing up into the rearview mirror to see her holding onto the roll bar with one hand while trying to tame her windblown hair with the other.

It looks like red flames flickering around her head, a small smile tugging at her lips as her eyes stare up at the stars above our heads.

Instantly, my thoughts go back to that bonfire. To her dancing. To a promise she broke so quickly it made my head spin.

And then I’m angry again because she turned down what should have been.

Damon helps Emily down from the Jeep when we reach Priest’s shop, but before we leave, she calls Ivy and puts it on speaker. My ears almost bleed from the high-pitched voice on the other end of the line.

“Hi, Daddy!”

Emily snorts and lets Ivy continue while Damon and I glance at each other in disbelief.

By the time Ivy starts talking about clowns and balloon animals, I’m biting my cheek not to laugh, only because I can imagine what Gabe’s face must look like to hear this shit.

Emily ends the call and we all laugh as we’re climbing into the van to head to the park. Damon offers to let Em have the front seat while he takes the back.

It sucks for me because it means I have to fight that much harder to keep from reaching over to touch her.

She’s like a drug, this woman. One I want to rub up against because she somehow soothes all the rage inside me.

We reach the park and step out of the van to wait for Ivy’s car.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for a black Lexus to roll up, the windows heavily tinted and the chrome accents gleaming. The car comes to a stop, and the driver steps out, my skin bristling the instant I see him.

That son of a bitch moves like he’s snapped a neck or two and enjoys doing it. I don’t miss his guns for arms or the way he narrows his eyes on Damon and me while rounding the car to the back passenger door.

Keeping my eyes locked on the obvious threat of Ivy’s driver, I lean against the side of the van with my arms crossed over my chest to watch as the driver rips the door open, leans inside to cover Gabe’s head and then jerks him out by both ankles to drop him on the ground.

I have to admit the speed in which he accomplished it is impressive. Gabe is not a small guy, but the driver just tossed him around like a small child.

When Gabe starts to immediately fight, Damon and I rush forward, careful to stay quiet as we help pin him down.

I look over to see Ivy step out of the car, an evil grin on her face, which